


It's (Not) About Dying

by yutro



Category: Batman (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Jason Todd-centric, Social Media, no beta we die lie jay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23232343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yutro/pseuds/yutro
Summary: The only reasonable answer would be that the author of the book is Jason Todd himself. But Jason Todd is dead, isn't he?alternatively;Jason Todd is alive. He doesn't want his family to know about it, but his poetry is too revealing.[on hiatus!]
Comments: 11
Kudos: 198





	It's (Not) About Dying

**Author's Note:**

> for anyone waiting for the next chapter or interested in reading the first one, this work requires massive editing and so, i would recommend bookmarking it and waiting for an update first. sorry for making you all wait for so long! i promise i have not abandoned this fanfic.

Dick has never really been fond of books. Sure, there were some books which he liked, especially the ones he used to read when he was a kid. There were kids stories that his parents read to him. There was that one Shakespeare’s comedy, which Alfred has made him read (even though Dick wasn’t even sure what the title was anymore, but he remembered that he liked it and that’s what mattered). Of course, there was also ‘Sherlock Holmes’. The whole series was gifted to him by Bruce, who gave it to him with his Batman-like grim expression and said: “This is your Robin’s homework”. 

But other than that, he never really had time nor motivation to read. He simply preferred sports as a hobby, and if he needed to relax, he would rather watch a dumb movie than make an effort to find an entertaining novel. 

Maybe that’s why he had a hard time choosing a birthday present for Alfred. He knew that Alfred would probably tell him that there was no need for a celebration and that at his age, it was not even something to be happy about. Still, it was only appropriate to show Alfred how much they – he and his siblings, that is –– appreciated him, at least once a year. Also, it distracted them, especially Bruce, from thinking about someone else, who shared the date of birth with the butler. 

Dick paused as this thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. He shouldn’t think about it, not now, not after so many years. He grabbed a random poetry book, suddenly impatient and read the description. As he proceeded to skim some poems, his face turned pale.

The universe clearly had something against him. 

Or, maybe– Maybe he was becoming paranoid. Going insane. 

***

Tim was at school when he received the text. He frowned and moved his phone under the classroom desk to reply.

**dickard**

_(1:12 pm)_

timmy

_(1:12 pm)_

do you know

_(1:12 pm)_

poetry?

He raised his eyebrows at the question, glancing briefly at the teacher to make sure that it was safe to go on with the conversation. 

**tim**

_(1:13 pm)_

poetry?

_(1:14 pm)_

never heard of it

_(1:14 pm)_

sounds exotic.

The response was immediate.

**dickard**

_(1:14 pm)_

…

_(1:14 pm)_

do you always have to make fun of your big brother?

Tim smirked, moving his gaze from the blackboard to the smart phone again. Yes, of course. He would never miss the opportunity to do so.

**dickard**

_(1:14 pm)_

i’m just trying to start a conversation. gather my thoughts.

**tim**

_(1:15 pm)_

of course. so what’s the problem? 

**dickard**

_(1:15 pm)_

so. i was looking for a birthday gift for alfred and

_(…)_

_(_ **_dickard_ ** _is typing)_

**tim**

_(1:16 pm)_

APFREd

_(1:16 pm)_

shit!

_(1:17 pm)_

i totally forgot… idk if i can help you with it though, it’s always a challenge.

**dickard**

_(1:17 pm)_

tim, focus please

_(1:17 pm)_

it’s not about the gift. i’m glad i reminded you though. 

_(1:18 pm)_

anyway! i was in a bookstore and there was this book

_(1:19 pm)_

‘it’s not about dying’

**tim**

_(1:23 pm)_

uhm. and? 

**dickard**

_(1:25 pm)_

can you investigate it for me?

**tim**

_(1:25 pm)_

investigate?

_(1:25 pm)_

a book?

**dickard**

_(1:26 pm)_

yeah, yeah. i know it sounds weird. 

_(1:27 pm)_

but i have a feeling that it might be important… and at the same time i want someone more… impartial to do it. and you’re a great detective, tim. i know i could trust you with this one. 

Tim bit his lip nervously as he read the text over and over again. He knew that it wasn’t Dick’s intention, but it was hard to say ‘no’ to Dick when he was so… nice. Also, nothing that he said made much sense to him and, ironically, it made Tim only more curious about the case. 

**tim**

_(1:29 pm)_

fine

**dickard**

_(1:29 pm)_

i owe you my life, timmy! just please, read it… and tell me what you think about it.

**tim**

_(1:30 pm)_

yeah i sure hope you will return the favour somehow:)

The lesson finally ended. Tim was free to get his phone from under the desk and look at it without being scolded by the teacher. He didn’t waste any time and googled the book Dick told him about. There were quite a lot of results. It shouldn’t surprise him as, apparently, ’It’s Not About Dying’ by J. Fox won an award recently, something about the best debut of the year. Tim didn’t have any idea how significant the award actually was. Still, given that it was quoted in the Times, he guessed that it might have been quite a big deal, at least in the US. 

The book itself came out only four months ago, and the author didn’t have any other publications. Tim checked their social media and found only a twitter account, which was not often updated. The profile pic did not reveal the user’s face, and the bio was only one line long. It coldly stated the profession: ‘poet’ and the title of the volume, alongside with the year of the first edition. The only display of relevant information was the location, which was no other city but Gotham. Tim hummed in understanding and proceeded to buy an e-book. So it was a local matter that concerned Dick.

Tim didn’t have any more classes, so he decided to go back to the manor to look at the case. He was almost restless during his way back and couldn’t help but start reading the e-book, though for now without paying to it proper attention. But even without much comprehension, the content of the book struck him. 

It was nothing that he could expect it to be. The language of the poems made him think of a crime alley kid who overdosed on Shakespeare or LSD or even both of them. Gotham slang not only did not ridicule the stories told through the verse but made them even more authentic. Tim hasn’t realised that words could be that hypnotising, could hold such raw emotions. 

Arriving at home, Tim grabbed some sweet bread from the kitchen, hardly answering Alfred’s greeting and questions. It was time to do some proper work. He sat in the living room with his laptop and prepared a new file with a poetry motives chart. He was never especially keen nor good at English, so he wasn’t really sure if it was the right choice. However, for now, he wanted to get a good overview to decide if it was possible that what made Dick worried about the book was actually a random choice of stylistic devices. 

Chewing the snack absentmindedly, Tim started reading the book from the beginning. Soon, first key-words appeared in his table. 

**_ bird _ **

**_ laugh _ **

**_ alley _ **

**_ clown _ **

**_ mother _ **

He hesitated for a moment before he typed in another motif. It was just a metaphor, right?. He shouldn’t overthink something that unmistakably symbolic. Highlighting the fragment in the e-book should be enough.

**_ resurrection _ **

**Author's Note:**

> hi! 
> 
> some quick notes about the story:  
> (1) some of you probably recognise this work as my (very old) twitter au. i decided to expand the idea, i hope you will enjoy it.  
> (2) huge thanks to the jtps gc. their support when i first started the au was amazing. i hope you will like this version as well!  
> (3) the story will be a mix of chats, social media posts and prose. it's kinda weird, but it's also my first regular fanfic written in english, and i want to give myself time in getting used to this form of fan work.  
> (4) i don't have a beta, so if anyone would like to adopt this fanfic as one, it would be great! just let me know in the comments.  
> 
> 
> and about the chapter:  
> (1) it's very short and it's mostly a setting up, i know. it's almost a preview rather than a chapter.  
> (2) having said that, next chapters will be definitely longer!


End file.
